05/31/2012

Those cute mail-order chicks that wind up in children's Easter baskets and backyard farms have been linked to more than 300 cases of salmonella in the U.S. - mostly in youngsters - since 2004.

But health officials are warning of a bacterial threat on the birds' feet, feathers, beaks and eggs. And health officials have long warned that people can get salmonella from touching chickens - especially children, who tend to put their fingers in their mouths. Indeed, the CDC says children under 5 shouldn't be allowed to touch chickens at all.

How can anyone believe a CDC that doesn't track prescription drug deaths. And remember auto crashes kill 40,000 per year!

05/19/2012

A Minnesota farmer who distributes raw milk is due to stand trial next week for food code violations in a case that pits the government's efforts to ensure a safe food supply against consumers' rights to choose what they drink and eat.

Alvin Schlangen, 54, is an organic egg farmer in Freeport, about 75 miles northwest of Minneapolis. He doesn't produce milk himself but operates a private club called Freedom Farms Co-op with roughly 130 members who buy various farm products including raw milk. Schlangen picks up milk products from an Amish farm and delivers them to consumers, mainly in the Twin Cities.

Schlangen is charged in Hennepin County with four misdemeanors, including selling unpasteurized milk products or possessing them for sale. The criminal complaint says inspectors last year searched a Minneapolis warehouse leased by Schlangen, where they found unpasteurized milk and other foods. They also found receipts from sales Schlangen made even though he didn't have a license to sell, handle or store food. Each count carries a maximum penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Schlangen said he's doing nothing wrong because his members lease the animals that provide the raw milk, so there's no purchase or sale.

05/17/2012

Price look-up codes, commonly called PLU codes, PLU numbers, PLUs, produce codes, or produce labels, are identification numbers affixed to produce and other products in grocery stores and supermarkets to make check-out and inventory control easier, faster, and more accurate.

For conventionally grown fruit, (grown with chemicals inputs), the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8.

02/24/2012

A police SWAT team conducted a food raid in rural Ohio, holding an entire family at gunpoint for hours without explanation. John Loeffler of IRN joined Brannon Howse of WVN to report this latest story.

Brannon Howse interviewed John Loeffler about his article on ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com on why SWAT police, armed for riot control weapons, packing automatic rifles and armored for a terrorist response stormed a family food cooperative in Ohio.

01/29/2012

Alcohol will be flowing more freely in 11 region communities thanks to the 2010 census. The Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission uses population figures to apportion liquor licenses to each municipality. The quotas are recalculated every 10 years after the official census.

But a smaller quota doesn't necessarily mean a municipality will have fewer liquor licenses. By state law, a city's current licenses are grandfathered, and those businesses can continue to hold licenses until they either close or are shuttered because of law violations. The licenses also can be transferred to another entity within city or town limits. That lead s to a glut of liquor licenses in municipalities that are losing residents.

Some municipalities use other types of liquor licenses to avoid being confined by the population quotas. The state offers licenses for economic development, gaming, horse tracks, historical districts, civic centers, small wineries and others that are not bound by population.

All studies on this issue show there is a correlation between the number of bars in a city and the number of police calls and drunken drivers on Friday and Saturday nights.